When you wear braces, your eating habits change a little because there are certain things that you shouldn’t be chewing on if you have orthodontic appliances. And during this Boerne holiday season, a time of year where there are delicious treats everywhere you turn, you may be tempted to consume some not-so “braces-friendly” treats. However, there are many decadent foods that you can still enjoy while not feeling guilty, and still get the full effect of the sweet treats during the holidays. The biggest rule here is going to be to stay away from foods that are hard and/or sticky and can cause your brackets or wires to pop off or break. Almost everything else is free game.Here are some tasty holiday treats that you can still enjoy with braces:
Soft Cookies
Soft cookies like sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies are the perfect holiday treat. They won’t damage braces, and when you’re baking cookies for Santa you can have some too.
Hot Chocolate and Eggnog
Whether it’s homemade or comes in powder form from an envelope, there’s nothing like celebrating the holidays with a warm glass of hot chocolate or eggnog. Just be sure to rinse your mouth afterward!
Pies: Apple, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin
Of course, you can have pies! Go ahead and enjoy sweet potato or pumpkin. Are you a fan of apples but know that they’re not recommended when wearing braces? Well, when they’re baked in an apple pie, they become soft and are safe to eat, so enjoy!
Pudding
Is banana pudding a favorite dessert of yours around the holidays, or maybe some good old-fashioned chocolate pudding? Either one of these can be enjoyed by anyone that wears braces.
Cake
You can eat a variety of cakes, including cheesecake, which is a rich and sweet way to enjoy the holidays.
Ice Cream/Whipped Cream
What better way to enjoy your warm pie if not with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream on top?
Fudge
Fudge doesn’t necessarily have to contain nuts. Nut-free fudge is still quite tasty. Can’t find any fudge without nuts? No problem, just pick them off first (or make your own.)Holiday Treats to Avoid With BracesIf you wear braces or any type of fixed orthodontic appliance, you should stay away from hard, sticky foods. More specifically, these include the following:
Peanut brittle
Caramel
Anything with nuts
Popcorn
Candy canes (unless you suck on them; never chew!)
Hard gingerbread cookies
Taffy
Hard pretzels
Enjoying The Holidays With BracesAfter you’ve had your fun and enjoyed the full effect of your family’s holiday menu, visit Boerne Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry so that Dr. VandeBerg can check your braces to make sure everything is still snuggly intact. It’s also a good idea to get a professional dental cleaning at that point, to remove any plaque that you may have missed. Give us a call and we’ll get you squared away in no time.
